Previews

The Sims Makin' Magic

With The Sims 2 scheduled for release next spring, you'd probably think that the original title was simply simmed out. The development team at Maxis still has something left up its sleeves, however, and the final expansion for The Sims, fittingly, is quite magical. The Sims Makin' Magic -- the working title of this final original add-on -- will work with The Sims or The Sims Deluxe Edition and open a world of spells, spooky settings, and fantastical creatures. You'll get to use magic to improve your social life, to wreak havoc on your simulated neighbors, and even make life easier by ending tedious chores.

Putting magic into the world of The Sims seems like an odd choice, but the developers are clearly aiming for the lighthearted sitcom approach of Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie, rather than the sinister direction of The Omen or The Exorcist -- so don't expect demonic little children or even kids who can projectile vomit pea soup. However, you can take your established sims, head over to a new carnival-themed destination, and take a trip to Magic Town where you'll get to perform mind-boggling tricks and unlock powerful spells.

Of course, using your magic powers requires more than merely twitching your virtual nose. If you don't have the right collection of ingredients, you'll end up with a disaster worthy of an episode of Sabrina: The Teenage Witch, with results like toad plagues and lightning strikes. Success, on the other hand, means you can turn your neighbors (and their simulated children) into frogs or even animate a skeleton maid to help you keep your home clean. Word of warning: Non-magical characters won't take kindly to seeing a skeleton in a French maid uniform running the vacuum; some things, it seems, are too surreal, even in the world of The Sims.

In addition to simply casting spells, you'll get to interact with new NPCs and travel via a magical portal to Magic Town to earn MagiCoins and purchase spell ingredients. As you hone your skills in the black arts, you can have your sims perform at a variety of events, including Magic Dueling Arenas and Spook Shows where tricks range from the mundane and simplistic rabbit-out-of-the-hat, to summoning the demi-god Cthulhu and enslaving all of mankind! Okay, we're kidding about the last part, but you will be able to summon a variety of ghosts that can be tasked with performing at your very own haunted house.

Since this expansion has a bit of a carnival theme, you'll also get access to previously unavailable items like a cotton candy stand and popcorn maker. Additionally, you'll be able to acquire must-have objects for the magical home, like a wand charger, charm maker, magical crystals, and even a dragon nest so you can hatch and raise your own pet dragon.

New characters for Makin' Magic will include a MagiCo traveling salesman who we're certain will find a way to get his fantastical foot in every door -- magical or otherwise. There's a sideshow assistant to help you with your tricks, plus snake charmers, mummies, vampires, and enough other characters to make this seem like a 1930's horror movie reunion! Some of these new NPCs are downright hilarious, like a garden gnome (that can be animated and actually become your own mini-gardener) and the aforementioned skeleton maid, giving you your very own "skeleton in the closet!"

This wouldn't be a new expansion for The Sims if it didn't include tons of other extras, and the developers are promising plenty of walls, floors, roofs, food items, paintings, and even creaking stairs and twisted trees to help put a Gothic spin on your sim house. It also isn't all magic, either, as new cooking and kitchen features have been added, including a brand-new Mediterranean kitchen set and baker's oven so your sims can bake breads, pies, cakes, and possibly a few ghastly items.

David Copperfield better brush up on his skills.

From the look of things, The Sims Makin' Magic might be the last expansion for the original version of The Sims, but instead of merely fading away, the first version of the popular game is going out with a grand bang. And, more importantly, because this add-on features so much more for fans of the series, it seems like it won't just hold you over while you're waiting for The Sims 2, but might keep you playing the original game for a very long time to come. With skeleton maids, garden gnomes, and vast spells, what's not to love about an expansion that is shaping up to be something magical?